Springfield native and member of the Springfield School Committee since 2009, Denise Hurst has brought new focus and commitment to promoting issues of equity and inclusiveness in educational opportunities, and was a driving force behind the Association’s Summits on Poverty. She has also been a highly effective leader and communicator, organizing the MASC Minority Caucus in 2016 for which she served two years as chair. (In 2020, the Caucus was formally recognized as MASC’s Division X: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.) She currently serves on the MASC Executive Committee as Vice President, having previously served as Secretary-Treasurer.
Ms. Hurst has attended and presented at numerous MASC workshops. She has also attended and presented at multiple NSBA Annual Conferences, including representing MASC at the National Delegate Assembly. She has been an active participant at NSBA’s Federal Relations/Advocacy Institute and the NSBA Equity Symposium. She has served as a delegate to MASC’s annual meeting (2010-present) and as Secretary-Treasurer of Division V from 2014-2017.
On her school committee she has served in numerous capacities, including as the Committee’s vice chair; chair of the Curriculum & Programs, and Legislative & Contracts subcommittees, and as a member of the Budget & Finance, Vocational Education, Technology, and Parent Concerns committees.
Ms. Hurst’s commitment to students and families throughout western MA extends well beyond her school committee service. She volunteers and serves on various boards. She is an inaugural graduate of the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact, Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, a member of the League of Women Voters, and a graduate of the 62nd Citizens’ Legislative Seminar, Massachusetts Senate.